NATURE CLICKS #536 - NORTHERN FLICKER

Male yellow-shafted Northern Flicker

Sometimes I’m a little sad if our summer birds wave good bye and head south to their winter range in late summer or during fall. At the other hand it is delightful to see other species arriving from their breeding grounds further north, passing just through, or staying here during winter time. This morning I counted three Northern Flickers, two males and one female, that came to one of our bird baths for a drink and searched for food on the ground or on a tree trunk.

It is a bird that breeds in Iowa but here in our woods, on the bluffs above the Little Maquoketa Valley, we see them usually only during winter time. With other words, these flickers probably migrated south from Minnesota or even Canada.

To fill the frame with this beautiful woodpecker I used the 1.4x Sigma teleconverter to extend the focal length up to 850 mm. This leads to a maximum aperture of f/9 and with a slight overcast this morning required ISO settings between 1000 and 2500.

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,   @ 850 mm, 1/200 s, f/9, ISO 1600

CAN THE OTHER SEASONS DELIVER?

I love the colors of autumn as you may have seen in recent blog posts. The coloration of the leaves tells a visual story about the season easily. Can we do that in black and white by using light and gestures only? Well, here is a trial. Winter, no tall grass…spring, grass still very short…summer, grass growing, but still not as tall and light never at this quality from that angle…. I guess it must be fall! I’m not totally serious about this, because at the end it’s all about the light that wraps around the swaying grass. Spring, summer, and winter just can’t deliver the same way for this shot…

FALL COLORS CONTINUE

Cottonwood leaves cover the foreground almost completely but the focus is on these young willows next to the marina. In the background, on top of the bluffs over in Wisconsin, the colors continue.

Mississippi Valley, Mud Lake, Iowa

After a busy week in the noisy and glitzy city of Las Vegas, NV it was nice to enjoy the Sunday back home in the Mississippi Valley. The colors of autumn have passed their peak but there was still plenty to find that makes fall such a beautiful season here. Many trees in the valley have lost their leaves already and warm wind and rain this evening may end the golden and red fall beauty faster than we may like.

The Nikkor 70-200, f/4 with attached polarizing filter was the lens of choice. It allowed me to isolate my subjects from clutter, like dead leaves or already bare branches, or focus on light and colors in the distance.

The red leaves of the sumac are always an eye catcher.

Mines of Spain State Recreation Area, Dubuque, Iowa

I photographed this solitary tree at the beginning of my hike but a bare blue sky made it kinda boring. When I came back these clouds moved through and in addition the slight blur of the leaves told the story of a very windy but beautiful fall day much better.

Mines of Spain State Recreation Area, Dubuque, Iowa

Cottonwood leaves carpet the grass below the trees. The traces of fast decay make for an interesting texture beside the golden colors. Just another way to tell a story about autumn.

Mississippi Valley, Mud Lake, Iowa

THE OLD RULE

I had an early flight yesterday morning from Las Vegas to Chicago. The sun wasn’t even high enough to touch the desert and mountains below after we had crossed Lake Mead, but its first light was reflected nicely by the clouds north of us and the inlet cowl of the jet engine nacelle on our aircraft. The Nikon Z6II was safely stored in my luggage in the overhead compartment and so the old rule, that the best camera is always the one you have with you, was confirmed to be true ones again. I shot this quickly with my iPhone camera before this brief and magical moment was over.

THE VIDEO: EASTERN PHOEBE

I think I developed a certain style and level for my still photography over the last decades but I’m still a bloody beginner when it comes to the production of videos. I guess I shouldn’t start with a focal length of 850 mm, which was a little tricky to say it mildly.

I hope you still enjoy a few seconds of the time I had with the Eastern Phoebe yesterday. See you in Hollywood one of these days…. 😊

NATURE CLICKS #535 - EASTERN PHOEBE

Eastern Phoebe, Little Maquoketa River Valley, Eastern Iowa

A couple nights ago some frost came along, making for a chilly Saturday morning. It did not stop me to go out with the camera when I saw the movements of a flycatcher in the front yard. The bird turned out to be an Eastern Phoebe, a species I haven’t seen in a while. More often the phoebe is present here in spring and I believe I photographed it for the first time in the fall. There is a similar looking flycatcher around during the summer, the Eastern Wood-Pewee, but they migrate much further to South America, and the pewee left some time ago already. The Eastern Phoebe spends the winter in southeast North America and Central America.

I’m not the only one who calls this “killer light”, when a slightly muted sun in crisp fall air hits the scene. I had a great time sitting on the porch, sipping on a hot cup of coffee, and shooting away with the long lens and 1.4 teleconverter attached to the camera. The Eastern Phoebe is a lovely bird to watch. They pump their tail up and down while sitting on a perch (a pewee doesn’t do that). and look out for insects. As the air warmed up fast in the morning, the phoebe caught most of its prey just above the grass below. We may think, it’s cold, no insects, but the birds know where to find and how to feed on them.

IT’S THE MAPLES

A cold snap last weekend, much cooler temperatures this week, and wow, we have fall colors here in the trees. Much needed rain during the last couple days and strong winds brought quite a few leaves down. But it is the maples here in the Mississippi Valley and in all the side valleys around that take the stage for the fall color show. I love the orange and yellow against darker backgrounds, as we can find it along the steep slopes, it’s my way of telling the story of autumn… Wishing all my friends and followers of this blog a wonderful weekend! Go out and find your colors!

LOOKING BACK

Blackwater Canyon, West Virginia, 2017

Fall is here with all its beauty. Leaves fall down by the thousands, finally some much needed rain arrived, cooler temperatures kicked in , and last not least colors unfold in the trees. I just don’t find the time this week to go out during day light and capture the beauty with the camera. However, exactly five years ago we spent some time in Blackwater Canyon State Park in West Virginia, at the peak time of fall colors. And of course, I still have some images I can share with you. Hopefully next weekend the camera comes out again here in the Upper Mississippi Valley. I can’t wait…

WARBLER SHOW

Can’t resist to show a few more photos from last weekend’s shooting at the Mississippi River. I chose my position near some dead trees the Yellow-rumped Warblers seemed to prefer for catching insects. It also increased my chances to get some clean shots with a blurred background and no distracting leaves or branches sticking out from the head of the bird.

All images: Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head,

NATURE CLICKS #534 - RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER

Red-bellied Woodpecker, Mississippi River, Frenchtown County Park, near Guttenberg, Iowa

Yellow-rumped Warblers were not the only birds I had in front of the lens last weekend. This dead River Birch at the edge of the water was also part of the habitat for a Red-bellied Woodpecker. Some pieces of bark on its bill tell us that he had a busy day. The sky was clear at this time and the blue makes for some nice color contrast to the plumage of the woodpecker. We have the red-bellied here in our woods and can see them every day but including a shaggy birch as a perch in the frame makes it special for me. The image is cropped and orientation was changed because I wasn’t able to keep some parts of the dead tree that I didn’t like out of the frame. Changing position was not an option. I know, it’s a compromise…

Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG, Induro GIT 404XL tripod, Induro GHB2 gimbal head, @ 850 mm, 1/250 s, f/9, ISO 400

FIRST BE PATIENT, AND SECOND, DON’T FORGET THE POLARIZER

A hint of fall colors, Walnut tree, Mississippi Valley, near Guttenberg, Iowa

Another great day with warm weather and some hope to find the unbeatable light of autumn here in the Mississippi Valley. It has been a dry year for the most part and many smaller trees loose their leaves without putting on a great color show. But we are not at the peak of fall colors yet and it may take a little time to find the spots that satisfy the eye and mind. I’m not a big fan of bare branches and dead sticks in my tree photos and some decent light has to be present before I make the click. This walnut tree below the steep slope of the Mississippi Valley caught my attention. I love the shape and how it stands out against the background and the surrounding trees. When the layer of clouds thinned out and more light revealed the colors of the leaves, the click was finally made.

If you like to photograph the fall colors for the first time during the next few weeks, here is a little tip that may help you to come back home with some good shots on the memory card. Don’t forget to bring a polarizing filter! No, we don’t need that for a better blue in the sky anymore, but it will remove the glare from the sky on the surface of the leaves and it will reveal the true colors. This works for leaves that either still hang from the trees or maybe make a nice pattern on the ground already. Glare on a surface is one of the things you can’t “fix” in post process.

ON THEIR WAY SOUTH

Northeast Iowa is a great place for a leaf peeping tour with fall in full swing right now. But a short stop north of Guttenberg at the the Mississippi River led to a few bird sightings as well today. Several Yellow-rumped Warblers enjoyed the sun and obviously found still insects at the edge of the water during their migration to the south.

DUBUQUE NIGHT OF LIGHTS

Dubuque historic Star Brewery building at Night of Lights event

Tonight was the inaugural event of Night of Lights in Dubuque, Iowa. Businesses and private homes in and near Downtown Dubuque were asked to leave the lights on for a few hours. Painters and photographers tried to capture the beauty of this event during the early night hours.

I was out of town the last couple of days and returned late from a business trip this evening. With not too much time on hand I drove straight to the old Dubuque Star Brewery building, a historic landmark next to the Mississippi River. Stone Cliff Winery has a wonderful tasting room in the historic brewery building and their wine garden was nicely illuminated. I guess all possible lights were on and with the location about ready to be closed, I had nobody walking through the scene during a 20 seconds exposure time for this photo. The metal sculpture in the foreground, “Flowing Connections” by artist Matt Moyer, is part of the annual ART ON THE RIVER exhibit, located along the Mississippi Riverwalk. I wished I had more time to check out some other locations in town, but maybe next year…!!

Nikon Z6II, Nikkor Z 24-70, f/4 S, GITZO tripod GT2931 Basalt, KIRK BH-3 ball head, VELLO wired remote switch,    @ 24mm, 20 s, f/18, ISO 100

OVERCAST DAY? HOW ABOUT DETAIL SHOTS?

Roots / Stones / Leaves, Backbone State Park, Iowa

Erosion on a steep slope has washed much of the soil and stones away that ones covered the roots of this old tree. A few rocks are still trapped between the roots. Fresh green surrounds the old tree trunk. The soft light reveals the structure on these exposed roots and let us wonder how old the tree might be.

Joan and I, and of course dog Cooper, went tent camping last weekend. We used Saturday for a couple hikes in Backbone State Park. With being it mostly an overcast day it wasn’t the right light for great vistas, although some leaves started changing colors. If a uniform gray overcast is good for anything, its for detail images in the landscape and that’s what I was going for.

Virgin’s Bower has many common names and I like “Old Man’s Beard” the best. The tails of the seeds are very feathery and inspired me to make this shot.

This is the flow of Richmond’s Spring in Backbone State Park. It’s water has a constant temperature of 48ºF (8.9ºC) as it comes to the surface. With 0,4 seconds exposure time I had the look I liked for the flowing water, not too milky, not too detailed…

LAST DAYS WITH THE HUMMINGBIRDS

Ready for a “dog fight’ with the competition. Even during migration the young hummingbirds still battle for the best feeding source.

Even if I don’t have time to watch the hummingbirds frequently during the day, I know that most of them have started their fall migration to Central America. The best indicator is the level of liquid in our hummingbird feeders. We have four feeders hanging from the porch or in the front yard and during peak times in August, when the new generation is buzzing around, we cook about 1.7 liters each day of the 1:4 sugar / water mixture. The demand has dropped considerably during the last couple weeks. The birds we see at the moment are most likely different ones every day. The last hummer is usually seen at the end of September or sometimes during first week in October. They need a lot of energy to make the long journey south. Many of them cross the gulf of Mexico in a single flight. That is amazing! For almost seven long months we will be without them. Next year, at the end of April we expect them back as always.

I photographed this young male earlier this month and I’m always wondering if the birds ever come back to the same place again. I guess I’ll never know…